


Raspberry Leaf Tea

by SkellyTelly



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Childbirth, Domestic Fluff, M/M, Mentioned Drunk Driving, Mpreg, Neighbors, Pregnancy, Slow Burn, skelepreg, tsundere fell papyrus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-10 18:50:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12305454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkellyTelly/pseuds/SkellyTelly
Summary: Cyrus (Underfell!Papyrus) has to get used to there being a new neighbor in the apartment right next door to his own. This new neighbor seems to need some help.





	1. Good Morning

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on a prompt I received from an anonymous user on Tumblr, I have not stopped thinking about it and it has to be written as a fic. This fic will be somewhat short, but I will update the tags whenever I introduce more characters or feel a need to add any extra warnings (a major archive warning may apply at some point, so if you're weary of that, I suggest waiting for the story to complete or for when I update that to actually see if you're still interested in reading).
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oct. 22, 2018 edit: I am going through the chapters and cleaning them up/editing them lightly! Though the fic will remain entirely the same, I might add a thing or two. Which if I do, I'll be sure to add a note to the said chapters that have those changes made!

Living on the third floor in a lovely corner apartment, Cyrus had not had a neighbor right next door to him in quite some time. 

 

The last one living there was an older woman, kindly, had a knack for indoor gardening, she frequently brewed her own teas. Anything from simple mint, to thyme, rosemary, and even lavender. It would be so much tea that she would have nothing else to do with it, which led to him being one of the first people she’d gift them to. She really didn’t have much else she did, hardly left her apartment, got visits once a week from her daughter. Slowly, the visits became more frequent though, and the last time Cyrus knocked on her door to check on her, she no longer was making tea, all her plants had withered.

 

Eventually, she moved out. She might’ve moved in with a relative? Not that he knew, she just seemed to disappear overnight. He knew something was up when the TV wasn’t blaring through the wall into his apartment. Though if he was honest, he actually enjoyed the solitude.

 

These weren’t the best apartments, kinda old and the walls were a little thinner than one might like. Summertime was bearable enough if you had fans blowing, but in winter time it was best that you bundle up. The plumbing only had issues maybe once a year due to frozen pipes. The tenants mainly kept to themselves and carried on with their lives as normal.

 

A few months went by, the landlord tried to show it off to some potential tenants, many of which Cyrus was not too pleased to see. The first was a young college couple trying to find a place with cheap rent, Cyrus was crossing his fingers that didn’t happen, he preferred not living by two very _ lovey-dovey _ young adults. The second was a woman who seemed alright, but Cyrus caught her asking: “Are pets allowed in this building?” and from the description she gave, he was going to have to deal with a potential scruffy rat in some bedazzled collar that would surely never cease to yip and yammer throughout the night. And the third potential candidate was a man to look maybe… A little unhinged. Suffice to say, none of these people came back, much to Cyrus’s fortune.

 

One morning, Cyrus woke up to his alarm buzzing, he already hit the snooze button two times now, one more strike and he would be out.  _ Out _ of a job, that is. The daunting weight of bills and rent was a healthy reminder to snap him awake and toss off the blankets.

 

Security guard work was not that hard, but it was boring, Cyrus maybe got a bit of a thrill out of catching some snotty teen trying to sneak out of a media store with R rated movies stuffed in their coat, but other than that, he was just doing the same routine, day in, day out. Heck, it wasn’t like he could properly detain these punks anyhow. Living the dream.

 

Throwing on his uniform, he got up and went into his kitchen, it had been a blessing to get a self-automated coffee maker, the sound of the pot filling with hot, freshly brewed joe was satisfying. Walking through the doorway, he reached over to the phone, tapping a button on the answering machine.

 

“ _ You have-two-recorded messages. _ ”  _ Beep _ “ _ Hey Cy, Muff here, you’re probably sleeping in, so I wanna just ask you call me when you’re up, dearie. Cynthia wanted me to tell you ‘good morning’ since you were sleeping like a rock. Toodles! _ ”

 

Cyrus was pouring the piping hot drink into a mug, the next message to play after that previous one was an update from the pharmacy that he had to pick up his prescription at some point. He mentally noted that, thinking he ought to stop sometime during his lunch break to- _ knock knock knock _

 

There was a knock... On his door? He nearly spilled the scalding hot coffee onto himself. Setting the mug down on the counter, he glared at the front door.

 

Stalking over, he looked through the peephole… This was someone he had never seen before, a lean skeleton that was all dressed in a solid white, loose shirt with lace sleeves, and some jeans from what bit he could see in the view of the peephole. Cyrus opened the door.

 

“Good morning, neighbor!” The cheery, bright and bubbly skeleton eagerly greeted him, “I’m Papyrus! I just moved into the apartment next to yours!”

 

_ Oh good god. _ He got the overly friendly neighbor. He just let his half-lidded eyes and clicking jaw show his enthusiasm to this news.

 

There was something of an awkward pause before speaking up again: “So nice to meet you! What’s your name?” Papyrus insisted.

 

“... Cyrus.” Short and cold cut.

 

“Cyrus! Say, would you like to come over to have lunch sometime?”

 

Cyrus’s glaring eyes only squinted, “... I’ve got  _ work _ .” He muttered as he stepped back.

 

“Oh! That’s fine! Then maybe another time--” The door shut firmly on the pesky new neighbor. Cyrus was in no way a morning person, and not interested in getting to know new people.

 

Hopefully, Papyrus took the hint and wouldn’t be some constant annoyance. But it was a first to have someone so eager to introduce themselves like that to him.


	2. Leaf me Alone

Before that old lady officially left, and when Cyrus checked on her to see if she was making any more tea, she solemnly shook her head. Due to her declined health, she often forgot when she last watered her plants, and being so lethargic she let them wither away to nothing. It was tragically poetic from what Cyrus saw. Instead, she offered him her leftover packets of seeds. He took them off her hands. He entertained the thought of possibly starting his own indoor garden. Though he ended up stowing them away on top of the fridge. Right where they continued to remain.

 

Cyrus enjoyed the silence. Now with a new tenant, things were much different.

 

Returning home the same day this new neighbor arrived, he barely got through the door before he heard his name called.

 

“Cyrus!”

 

He ducked his head,  _ good lord, now what? _

 

“Cyrus, do you have any food allergies?” Papyrus asked.

 

“... Yeah.” And with that, Cyrus swiftly went inside, shutting the door behind him and locking it. He wanted that audible sound of the lock clicking into place to tell he was in no mood for annoying pleasantries.

 

And yet, by the next morning on his way out the door, he went to close it behind him, only to find a plastic bag hanging off the knob. Inspecting in the bag, was a small baggy containing… Scones? A note along with it saying: “ _ Enjoy!  -Papyrus _ ”

 

Why ever in the world did this guy think he needed to be so overly nice to him? Just because they were neighbors? How dense was this newbie that they could not comprehend his obvious disinterest? Cyrus decided to hang the bag back on Papyrus’s doorknob.

 

Nothing was heard for the remainder of the day and night. The next morning though, he found a note: “ _ Hope you have a great day! -Papyrus _ ”

 

Whatever. Cyrus was over it by this point, if he kept ignoring then Papyrus would eventually tire out. Was the guy just this lonely? That he was desperately trying to make friends with the first folks he sees? 

 

Cyrus was wracking his skull with all sorts of questions because rather than just outright ask Papyrus himself, he would rather speculate and come to his own made-up conclusion.

 

Papyrus definitely did not seem like the kind of person that would just want to hunker down into a drab place like this. The place with chipping paint, a constant dripping  _ somewhere _ , and steel wool stuffed mouse holes. Papyrus was sure to see how the rest of this community ran in this apartment complex, it certainly was far from being whatever dream was in his head that they all would get together and break out into a song about their rent being too damn high or whatever. People here kept their heads down and seldom acknowledged one another’s existence.

 

Days went by, to which that note stayed strong on Cyrus’s door. He eventually got tired of looking at it and crumpled it up.

 

On one evening as he was walking back down the corridor, he spotted that insufferable nuisance again, standing in the hallway and chatting with the neighbor that was a room down from Cyrus. A gentle old goat lady, a teacher for elementary school, that was the extent of knowledge that Cyrus had about her. However, she seemed like someone that wouldn’t mind entertaining Papyrus. She was someone with never-ending topics and could easily make small talk with anyone, whenever she failed to think of anything relevant to speak about, snail facts seem to be a goto.

 

“Oh, hello Cyrus!” Papyrus eagerly welcomed him.

 

“Good evening, Mr. Serif.” As well as the older woman.

 

Cyrus merely grunted in response, not bothering to pay them any mind as he continued to his door. The two seemed to easily carry on with their conversation while he unlocked his door.

 

“-Mine went fairly easily, considering it was my first time. Though I am fairly big, and my baby was fairly small.” The lady explained.

 

Cyrus just unlocked his door as he heard that, holding still a moment longer to consider hearing what they were talking about.

 

“If you need anything though, I’m more than happy to help. I might even have some old clothes from when my son was little.”

 

“Really? That’d be so kind! Thank you!”

 

“Mhm, I would just need to wash them, I’ve been meaning to donate them. He’s all grown up, so they’re just so sentimental.”

 

Papyrus awed as Cyrus opened his door and stepped inside. Taking a moment, he just stood there behind his door to hear the two continue to talk, muffled by the walls. He was putting two and two together, considering back over just why Papyrus was here and what his deal was… Well, one hint seemed to be: Papyrus is pregnant.


	3. Not Good For Your Back

Cyrus stood under the spray of hot water, allowing the steam and blasting shower to clean him off and give him a chance to decompress from the day. As well, gave him plenty of time to be left with his thoughts running in his head.

 

From what all Cyrus was able to deduce: Papyrus is an expectant monster, who just moved in and doesn’t have a partner. Something about learning this made Cyrus take on a bit of guilt for having shoved him off so quickly. No doubt, with that kind of burden- **_responsibility_ ** on one’s shoulders…

 

He lathered his hand with body wash and started to scrub his bones.

 

Cyrus tried to rationalize that it was really no one else’s problem that Papyrus was in this predicament, everyone had their own issues to sort through, he sure had plenty of his own. Like his job, staying on top of his medication-which he nearly forgot until this moment just now-and paying for his own rent and groceries. Thus, he’s not at all obligated to help.

 

He rinsed himself under the shower head, rolling his shoulders and letting the warmth run along his back to ease any tension.

 

A baby though, from the glances he took of Papyrus he had some good several months to go. But there was going to be an actual baby next door. There would be no escaping any instance of hearing that pathetic little thing cry out and keep all tenants within range of them awake so long as they had a good set of lungs. Ugh, he almost preferred that yippy little muppet called a mammal. Not that Papyrus would be at fault for it, babies just did that. Cyrus would know…

 

He just stood there, water running off the top of his skull, all down his neck, passed his shoulders and arms to his fingertips. The water collecting at the bottom of the tub, pooling just an inch, but constantly swirling down the drain. Clean enough, Cyrus turned the knobs and cut the water off. Climbing out of the shower and drying off for the night.

 

The next couple of weeks, he simply did what he did best: got up, got dressed, listened to his voicemail, had coffee, went to work, came home, showered, ate dinner, watched TV, and then went to sleep. Days off were mainly spent sleeping since he quite honestly struggled to sleep a normal schedule. Every now and then, he would pass by Papyrus in the hall, which always meant being greeted in some fashion. He never failed in giving the peppiest, cheeriest greetings too:

 

“Good morning, Mr. Cyrus!”

 

“Hope your day is good, Serif!”

 

“Sorry if calling you ‘Serif’ was weird, hope you have a good night, Cyrus!”

 

While Cyrus was not one to really respond much back, he was at least acknowledging him with some eye contact.

 

One day, Cyrus passed Papyrus while he was on his way downstairs taking a basket of laundry along with him. Papyrus was wearing some of his cleanest clothes, which was a tank top and some stretchy shorts. The tank was just a bit ill-fitting and wrapped around his form very snug. His belly was rounding out now, certainly made all the more apparent by his slender figure.

 

“Good evening, Cyrus!” Papyrus greeted, passing right by him.

 

Cyrus did glance back over his shoulder as Papyrus walked by and started descending the stairs. _The guy doesn’t have a washer and dryer in his own apartment?_ _How the hell is he going to manage constantly making trips to the ground level laundromat and back up with a load of clean clothes?_ Were thoughts that Cyrus criticized, but it is not like he had a washer and dryer that he could offer to use. Heck, where was Ms. Lambchop with that whole _“If you need anything though, I’m more than happy to help.”_ huh? Actually, come to think of it, probably no one in this apartment building had washing machines and dryers in their own flats. Mildly inconvenient.

 

A few more days later, Cyrus was leaving his house on a day off he had, needing to pick up more of his prescription at the pharmacy. As he left his apartment, he spotted Papyrus just right outside his own, holding one big, paper bag full of groceries in one arm and fiddling with his keys in his free hand, picking out the right key to unlock his door. By his feet were two other paper bags full of groceries as well.

 

“Oh! Hello Cyrus!” Papyrus said just as his door unlocked, “Today’s a fine day! A bit of a chill though. Take care!” Pocketing his keys, he squatted down as to scoop up the other two bags, then heave himself up by his legs alone, and walk right inside.

 

Now the guy was having to haul groceries around too? There was almost no way he would be keeping that up until the further along he got. If anything, all that heavy lifting could actually be pretty bad for him.

 

The longer he waited for maybe some other sovereign soul to step up and help Papyrus out, it seemed as though no one would. Was Cyrus really about to try stepping up to the plate? Well with Papyrus’s partner being no where to be found, it was likely he’s also working. While pregnant. Meaning just more time being spent on his feet and doing whatever it is that pays him to live in such a crummy little place.

 

Alright, guess someone has to do this then.


	4. Bittersweet Kindness

Autumn had set in, the weather cooled down significantly and the trees began to change color, arrays of warm hues decorated the streets with plenty of colorful leaves littering the pavement. Soon though, there would be no more foliage left, and the crisp cold winter would soon be upon them.

 

Papyrus was well on his way to having his child during the winter, which he was uncertain of how much that would challenge him. There was still hope that by then, he might find some help. Toriel, the kind lady right next door had been great about giving advice and donated a generous amount of adorable baby clothes: onesies, elastic pants, just the cutest little hats, and sweetest little socks. Perfect for the oncoming cold. He hesitated to ask her for more help given she was a busy elementary school teacher. Any other neighbors he tried to strike a conversation with gave him similar responses: snubbing or a scoff. At least he was persistent because he was bound to make friends if he tried hard enough.

 

Speaking of persistent, his back was starting to  _ persistently _ ache. As more weight was distributed out from his midsection, the more his spine was having to support. He felt all the more challenged with his job which required him being on his feet all the time, hurrying from table to table, carrying orders out. His energy was far more drained now than ever before. The tips were nice at least, they made sure to give a little extra for the  _ parent _ -to-be.

 

It helped, but they were far from making his life all that easier. This apartment was not an ideal place to be or to raise children, but Papyrus was going to try and make the best of it.

 

After clocking out for the day at work, he was more than ready to soak in a bathtub… For a few hours maybe. His feet were sore, his back was wrecked, which only culminated to a splitting headache. And to think, he still had one more day before he had the next two days off. Truly, he wanted to just call it in tomorrow, but that was not too viable for someone in his position. He still needed to make sure he made rent, took care of insurance, and bought groceries.

 

On that point of thought, Papyrus stopped just a little ways away from his front door, spotting a brown bag sitting in front of it. How peculiar, a lonely, full bag was just sitting right by his door? Craning his head up and over to look inside: bread, vegetables, some fruit… Nothing too out of the ordinary for what appeared to be a simple bag of groceries. He was about to question to whom these belonged to, until spotting the note attached, and kneeling down to read it… This note was addressed to “Papyrus”. That’s him.

 

There wasn’t a soul in sight within this corridor, so there was no one present for Papyrus to ask or thank. He may have wanted to be more skeptical, but at the same time, this bag of goods did save him a trip to the store that he was planning to do tomorrow after he got off work.

 

Papyrus scooped up the bag, then went inside and turned in for the evening.

 

* * *

 

“Ms. Toriel!” Papyrus caught sight of the lovely lady, that resided in the apartment next to his, in the hallway, “Thank you for the groceries yesterday!”

 

She had her hand on the strap to her satchel, processing the question and readjusting her glasses to be up higher on her snout, “I’m sorry, I think I would remember doing such a thing, but… I don’t!”

 

Papyrus’s face dropped, “You don’t?”

 

Toriel gave a warm chortle, “I might be getting old, but I don’t believe I’m  _ that _ old yet. You might have mistaken me for another.”

 

“Then… Who…” Papyrus trailed off, his question pretty rhetorical as he was already looking off to the door at the furthest end of the hallway.

 

“Hm, I can’t say for sure, but whoever it is, sound to be very kind and considerate.” Toriel continued on her walk by Papyrus, bidding him a farewell as she went on her way.

 

Papyrus was bewildered, he had not expected this to come from Cyrus, but at the same time, it swelled his very soul with joy. His efforts in being kind and compassionate towards the obtuse neighbor of his were not in vain, and clearly proving that the curmudgeon was just as thoughtful and caring back.

 

* * *

 

That evening, after Papyrus had returned home and gotten out of his sweaty work clothes, he gathered his clothes up into a basket, the laundromat was thankfully just downstairs and a door over, pretty convenient given how inconvenient it was to not have a washer or dryer in the first place. As he walked out his door, he noticed something on his doorknob: a cloth, drawstring bag.

 

Another thoughtful gift? This time, it was a bag for his laundry as opposed to having to carry this big bulky basket. Come to think of it, this would really prove useful. Papyrus started to transfer his dirty clothes into the bag instead when he then suddenly heard a door open.

 

“Oh! Cyrus!” Papyrus eagerly greeted, “T-thank you! For the groceries! And for this!”

 

Cyrus seemed to be caught off guard by the sudden gratitude, trying to come off aloof and looking elsewhere.

 

“This certainly makes taking trips down to the laundromat easier. Is there any way that I can--”

 

“Leave it.”

 

Papyrus stuttered, but his words stopped dead in their tracks, “... Leave it?”

 

Cyrus glanced back down over to Papyrus, he looked pretty annoyed, “Yes, leave the laundry outside your door, I’ll take it down and do it for you.”

 

“You’ll do  _ my _ laundry?”

 

_ How complicated a concept was this to him? _ “Yes!”

 

Papyrus looked from Cyrus to the bag of clothes in front of him, then back up to him, “... Are you sure? I mean, I appreciate it, but you don’t--”

 

Cyrus marched right up to him, snatching the bag, “Go rest. I’ll knock when they’re done.” He even stepped back to his door to pick up his own bag of clothes as he then padded down the stairs.

 

Papyrus was simply beside himself. It was kinda nice to be given a break to not worry about staying down there for the next hour and some while his clothes washed and dried. He went back inside, settling down on the couch.

  
A couple hours later, a knock came, and when Papyrus answered the door, all that was there was a bag full of clean clothes, another note attached: “ _ Leave the bag out on your door with your clothes inside when you want them cleaned. I’ll take care of it. _ ”


	5. A Chat Over a Cup of Tea

In the following weeks, it soon became pretty much part of the routine: Papyrus would leave his clothes right outside his door for Cyrus to pick up, wash and dry, then bring back. Next, when Cyrus would shop for groceries, he would basically take two lists: one for his own groceries, the other for Papyrus. And no matter when Papyrus offered some sort of compensation of money in return or any thanks, it was instantly shot down by Cyrus. He claimed that he was plenty well off to not be bothered. He seldom spent money on himself.

 

Papyrus was becoming a big reason he bothered at all getting up and going to work anymore. Rent was still a persistent motivator, but if Papyrus was out of milk, Cyrus would see to it that he got an extra gallon of it on his drive back home. The help came at no better time as Papyrus was no longer suggesting he was pregnant, but rather looking the part. Half his wardrobe no longer fit, though winter gave him an excuse to wear many of his oversized sweaters and jumpers.

 

A knock came to Cyrus’s door, he had a pretty solid idea of just who it was at his door. Papyrus would give him a knock if he needed something from the store had laundry to be taken care of. Except, Cyrus had gone shopping just yesterday, and Papyrus should not be out of clean clothes just yet, right? He contemplated what on earth he possibly needed as he opened the door to that cheerful grin.

 

“Cyrus! Good afternoon! I actually wanted to ask for some help?” Papyrus seemed a little nervous to be asking, anxious about overstepping his bounds. Cyrus already did so much, he didn’t want to come across as  _ greedy _ -

 

“With what?”

 

Papyrus took a breath, “Um, you see, I… I recently bought a bassinet-someone just came and dropped it off! And so you see… I wanted to ask if you could… Help me with it?”

 

Cyrus stood there, pondering over the thought a moment, “... I’ll get my tools.” As he went back inside he left the door open.

 

“Oh! You don’t need to, I have tools-”

 

“I prefer mine.”

 

Papyrus pouted a bit, though he did find himself itching with curiosity. Cyrus left his door open, and Papyrus could see into his apartment… It was so… Dreary. There was not much at all decorating the place, he did not even bother at all to give it any personality or life. It was sad and lonely. His peeping was interrupted by Cyrus marching out with an old, slightly rusted toolbox in hand. A toolbox that was no doubt shoved under a bed and left there to only come out in times of needing a screwdriver to remove the backing of a remote to change out the batteries.

 

“ _ Hey! _ ”

 

Papyrus quickly backed off like a startled doe, holding his arms behind his back. Cyrus gave a pretty obvious eye roll.

 

“... Go on now.”

 

Cyrus was brought into Papyrus’s home, he had been in this apartment before, but this was the first time he got to see it with someone new living in it. The walls were all in the same place as before, but there was a fresh coat of paint applied. There was minimal furniture, as opposed to the old antique rocking chairs and wooden benches that the elderly woman once owned. Papyrus brought in a well-loved couch and an ottoman in place of a coffee table. Probably what there was most of around the place were all the baby gadgets and toys, like the little rocker or the play mat with overhanging mobile.

 

Over the time here, Papyrus’s enthusiastic charm seemed to rub off onto the other neighbors too. Heck, especially after seeing Cyrus toss in a helpful hand, the whole second floor of the building began to pitch in and gave Papyrus gifts to help him along. It was… Rather reassuring to see the community pull together and do something so nice for this independent parent.

 

Cyrus was led to the bedroom, where a box was sat by the end of the bed. And taking no time at all, Cyrus set his tools down, opening it up as to pull out the old box cutter with a dulled blade. It would help get the job done of tearing into this packaging.

 

“Alright, so, what can I help with?” Papyrus asked, watching over Cyrus’s shoulder as he plunged the knife into the seam of cardboard and ripped down the line.

 

“ _ You _ . Can go sit and relax.” Cyrus bluntly spoke while ripping open the flaps of the box.

 

Papyrus frowned, “I asked you to ‘ _ help me _ ’ not ‘ _ do it for me _ ’!”

 

Cyrus was quite dismissive to Papyrus’s attempts at arguing, “Yeah well you’re  _ pregnant _ , so you gotta sit.”

 

He completely ignored the fact that Papyrus was giving him quite a stink eye, “I don’t have to sit. Exercise is actually good for me, you know? It won’t hurt me, or the baby, if I were to-”

 

“ _ Sit. Now _ . I can handle this.” Cyrus shot down any bit of protest, he did not care how cold it came off or how rude his tone was, as long as it got Papyrus off his back.

 

Seemed to finally get through to him, as Papyrus stalked out of the bedroom. Cyrus could not care less if he was mad, the guy needed a break if he was already on his feet for hours a day at a job waiting on tables.

 

For the next half hour, he worked at pulling out all the parts, laying them out on the floor, following the instructions step-by-step and hoping that all the screws and bolts necessary were in the box as promised, but if any experience from building furniture had to tell him, it was that it was almost always important to have extra bits on hand just in case.

 

By now, he was close to finishing the framework, when he heard Papyrus start to walk around in the other room, hearing the tap run and followed up minutes later with a kettle beginning to whistle. Quite an interesting sequence, but Cyrus put two and two together to understand-

 

“ _ Cyrus! I made some tea! Would you like a cup? _ ”

 

Honestly, trying to figure out which rod that rod A was supposed to screw into in the number 5 slot was pestering enough that he needed a break away from looking back and forth at a piece of paper that was filled from corner to corner with words.

 

“... Sure!” He left everything right where it was, carefully stepping over and out of the ring of hardware and puzzling pieces of the bassinet. Entering now into the kitchen where Papyrus held a cup out to Cyrus.

 

“Here you go, there’s also some honey and milk in the kitchen if you’d like to mix them in!”

 

Milk might go well with it. Cyrus walked over, but then awkwardly hesitated when reaching out for the cup. He almost forgot all about how he was supposed to be giving Papyrus the cold shoulder constantly. Least he starts to get…  _ Attached _ ...

 

“... What kind of tea is this?” Cyrus asked as he carefully took the cup, he was going to skip out on the milk for now.

 

“Rooibos!” Papyrus said as he turned to set his cup down and pull out a spoon from the drawer,  “Toriel gave it to me, said that it’s good to have while expecting, but it’s generally good for plenty of people, even children!” he added a pretty generous dollop of honey into his cup, and then picked up the galloon of milk to very carefully add to it, nearly overflowing the cup.

 

Cyrus was the person to drink his coffee black, more so out of not having the time in the mornings to bother diluting it with anything. He took a sip and decided it was not too bad on its own. Still scalding hot, just how he liked hot beverages.

 

“You drink teas?” Cyrus inquired.

 

Papyrus hummed, pulling the spoon out from the cup he stirred, “Mhm! I didn’t much originally, but some teas are pretty helpful to have during pregnancy when you can’t really just take normal medicine for things like indigestion or nausea.” He then happily picked up his own cup, having a good sip.

 

Cyrus swirled his tea in his mug, “Hm… Do you... Know much about gardening?”

 

Papyrus held his cup to his mouth, stopping in order to mull over the thought, “... Can’t really say, I haven’t gardened much before.”

 

Cyrus scoffed, “It can’t be that hard. I got a bunch of seeds you could try growing in some little planters, they’re specifically seeds for growing and making teas.”

 

Papyrus looked up curiously, “Oh? What kind of teas?”

 

“Generic stuff, chamomile, peppermint, lavender…” Cyrus sipped from his cup.

 

Papyrus shrugged, thinking it over, “Maybe, though… When it gets to be full grown, I might have already had my baby by then.” He gave a half-hearted chuckle.

 

“It can still be nice to have though, to be frank, I have a buncha seeds that I don’t know what to do with. I’m offering them up to ya for free. You can do whatever you want with them, they’re wasting space with me.”

 

Papyrus watched Cyrus speak, pausing a moment before he smiled, “Thank you…”

 

Cyrus just turned his head and shrugged.

 

“... Cyrus, I really must say… Thank you for being so kind to me.”

 

He peeked at Papyrus by the corner of his eye.

 

“It’s been… Kinda difficult, you know? And, I’m just so… So thankful to have someone helping me. To go from having… Almost no one, and then having all my neighbors start to offer me gifts, advice, and especially you for helping me with groceries and laundry! I really feel like I’ve… Made a true friend around here.”

 

Cyrus had trouble in keeping up this aloofness, “... Please. You don’t have to keep thanking me.”

 

“But I do!” Papyrus set his cup down on the tray, now facing him fully, “You ask nothing in return for all this! I just… I wish I knew why.”

 

Cyrus’s brow narrowed down, he tried everything he could to not look at him, face-to-face.

 

“... You’re very kind, Cyrus…”

 

There was silence, a long draw of dead air between them, quiet with only the sounds of distant sirens going off somewhere in the city. Cyrus gave a deep sigh, setting his cup down, “I’ve gotta finish that bassinet.” He walked back off into the bedroom, proceeding his work.

 

Papyrus just could not understand what was going through his head, anyone sensible enough should have just accepted the thank yous and given a simple “you’re welcome”. It just didn’t seem to happen with this guy.


	6. What Could Pot-sibly Go Wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lil late with this one (been trying to keep this fic updating on the daily since it's only 7 chapters), but hopefully this one delivers and the next chapter hopefully comes out sometime tomorrow!

“ _ You have-one-recorded message. _ ”  _ Beep _ “ _ Hey Cy, Muff here, you’re probably sleeping in, so I wanna just ask you call me when you’re up, dearie. Cynthia wanted me to tell you ‘good morning’ since you were sleeping like a rock. Toodles! _ ”

 

Cyrus was drinking down some black, bitter coffee. Having long since adjusted to it and having the caffeine was really the only way he could make it through the mornings. Though, he had plans to stop by the store after work to get groceries, mainly for Papyrus. On his way out, he came up to Papyrus’s door and was startled aback by the door opening before his knuckles made contact.

 

“Good morning, Cyrus!” Chipper as ever, all the more pregnant than before. What a difference a few weeks could make, Papyrus was at his 30-week mark, meaning only about ten more weeks were left before that little “bundle of joy” was due. Papyrus was starting to actually slow down, not as hyper and energized as he once was. Instead, he seemed to always be just a little out of breath.

 

“I was ‘bout to come by and ask what you needed from the store.” Cyrus said.

 

“Oh, thank you-actually, I wanted to ask you… Could we go shopping together? See, I’ve been doing some research on those seeds you gave me! And I think it might be possible to make some small planters for them. I would need help putting it all together, and seeing that you won’t let me so much as pick myself up a gallon of milk-”

 

“Fine fine,” Cyrus dismissed, “I can pick you up after I get out.”

 

* * *

 

Stopping at the big, grand, brand name retail store, Cyrus grabbed hold of the nearest cart. They went along getting the usual groceries that Papyrus needed, Cyrus leaned on the cart handle as he followed beside Papyrus. At this hour of the evening, not many folks were shopping. It made for less rambunctious children running around.

 

Papyrus was pretty efficient in knowing just what he wanted, spotting it out quickly on the shelves, putting it in the basket, and carrying on to the next thing. Generic groceries were not a problem. They worked from the front of the store to the back, which then led them to the lawn and garden section of the store. Which was then where Papyrus started to enter territory unfamiliar to him.

 

“OK, so I watched this video.” Papyrus said, pulling up his second piece of paper, the previous list being pocketed, “And it’s pretty simple. I need pots, a watering can, dirt, and rocks.”

 

“Rocks?” Cyrus questioned.

 

“For the lavender! It’s to help drain the soil.” Papyrus looked around the area, trying to spot any of the four things he listed.

 

“... Why does it need to drain the water out? Don’t plants  _ need _ water?” Cyrus questioned the absurdity, it was probably going to pose a hassle working with rocks.

 

“I dunno, plants are very sensitive, that’s all! We also have to make sure of what the pH levels of all the soil is, they’re ranging around 6 to 9, though they’re all different.”

 

Walking along the aisles of planters, they came up to some simple clay pots, not too big, but the colorful glazing seemed to catch Papyrus’s eye.

 

“Are these the right kinds of pots?” Cyrus asked as Papyrus was already stacking them up in the cart.

 

“Mh?  _ Oh! _ Yeah! We don’t have to worry about the pots too much.” Papyrus said, referring back to the list.

 

Cyrus looked at them, for as colorful as they were, they seemed smaller than what he was expecting they would get, “So… How much research did you do before this now?”

 

Papyrus looked over to Cyrus, giving a few blinks as he glanced to the list and back up to Cyrus, “... I mean… The video was… Pretty thorough!”

 

Cyrus gave a raised brow, “Oh yeah?”

 

“Gardening will be the  _ least _ of my worries, Cyrus!” Papyrus huffed, “Honestly, I think I don’t need to know much more about gardening than that,  _ do I?” _

 

Cyrus raised his palms up in defense, “Wasn’t trying to imply anything. Just making sure. Don’t wanna have to make constant trips out here in case you messed something up.”

 

Papyrus’s shoulders dropped and face falling flat, “... You know what? I can take it from here.” Papyrus began pulling on the cart, right out from Cyrus’s hands.

 

“Whoa now, hold your horses.” Cyrus grabbed onto the handle again, tightly holding the cart back, “Look, just get on with the list, alright?”

 

“Oh? Why should I?” Papyrus shot the question right at Cyrus with plenty of salt to his tone.

 

Cyrus was simply… Dumbfounded… Was this some sort of rhetorical question, or was it maybe some mood swing? All he did in response was given a half-hearted shrug.

 

“... Forget it.” Papyrus began pulling the planters out.

 

“Hey, hey, calm down, alright?” Cyrus reached out to try and catch one of his hands, but Papyrus immediately reeled back.

 

“Calm down?? Why? Cause it’s  _ ‘not good for the baby’? _ Cause I might start making a scene?” Papyrus shook around clay pots in each hand, nearly making Cyrus flinch, “... How the heck is it that you’re such an  _ expert _ on pregnancy? Were you a doctor or something? Why the heck do you care about me, yet at the same time don’t even want to acknowledge me whenever I would say ‘hello’ to you, or give a simple ‘thank you’! Honestly! How hard is it to say  **one damn** **_‘you’re welcome’_ ** **!?** ”

 

Caught up in all his emotions at the moment, one of the planters slipped from his hand, and sure enough: shattering into 7, big pieces on the concrete floor. Papyrus brought his hand to his mouth, absolutely mortified. Cyrus jumped at the sound of the hard clay impacting the ground. And even more unfortunate, was that an employee was standing just at the far end of the aisle.

 

Cyrus made eye contact with the employee, who was at a loss for words, so Cyrus spoke up, “... We’ll be paying for it.”

 

* * *

 

The car trunk slammed down, Cyrus having put away all the groceries, he walked around to the side, opening the driver’s side door and slipping right in comfortably to his seat. Before turning the key in the ignition, he looked up to Papyrus, who had been just utterly silent the rest of the time in the store. All he did after that was pay for the rest of the groceries and get out, abandoning the planters (except for the broken one, that one had to be paid for) as well as the rest of the gardening supplies.

 

It was only going to be a terribly awkward drive back home, so Cyrus went on to address the elephant in the room, “... Accidents happen.” He shrugged, “No one got hurt at least.”

 

Papyrus simply turned his head away, looking out the window. His arms stayed crossed pretty tightly over his chest, and resting over his belly. Cyrus actually pitied him, the poor guy… He just had to open his own fat mouth.

 

“... You know, maybe the old lady, uh, Tori? She might be able to help you out. Think she does stuff with… Snails… And… That’s kinda… Related…” Cyrus held his key to the ignition again, readying soon to turn it, but awaiting some kind of response from Papyrus at least.

 

Instead, he was met with more silence… Except for a small sniffle, and a  _ not-so-subtle _ subtle attempt at drying his eye sockets with his coat sleeve.

 

Cyrus frowned, “... There’s some… Napkins in my glove compartment there, if you need to… Use them.”

 

“... Why don’t you like me?”

 

Cyrus tensed,  _ Oh good god, please _ .

 

“I-I’m sorry if I-”  _ Sniff _ “-I upset you s-somehow… Y-you don’t need to keep hel-”  _ Sniff _ “Helping me if you d-if you don’t w-ant to.”

 

Soft sobs started to fill the car’s silence, Papyrus trying in vain to keep his crying at bay, but struggling to do so easily. Cyrus indignantly dropped his hand from the keys in the ignition, looking out his window, watching as specks of rain started to sprinkle the glass.

 

“... Papyrus. It’s not-” He rubbed his brow with his pointer finger and thumb, “... You didn’t do anything, alright? You can stop crying.”

 

Papyrus’s pathetic face looked over to Cyrus, and he could see the clear reddened face with tears wetting his cheeks.

 

“... Hell, where do I start in all the things you did right?” Cyrus half-heartedly chuckled, “Say ‘Hi’ to me every chance you get, offer me plenty of thanks and repayments… You just… Deserve better, alright? And that better? Sure as hell wouldn’t be from me.” Cyrus seemed to start trailing off at the end there with his words.

 

It seemed to catch enough of Papyrus’s attention that he wasn’t outright sobbing now, “Cyrus.. Y-you’ve given me so much, though. You’ve… Helped me more than I could have ever a-asked for.” Still sniffling a bit at the end there.

 

“Hm… Guess I’m too helpful for my own good.” Cyrus crossed his arms up over the wheel, “... I dunno how you manage all that. Being peppy and stuff? It seems so tiring.”

 

Papyrus was quiet, he watched the way Cyrus leaned forward and stared out long onto the rest of the parking lot, “... You’re not wrong there… I’m actually terrified.”

 

Cyrus looked over to Papyrus, seeing now how his eyes fell down to his bulbous belly.

 

“When I first found out I was pregnant… At first I thought it was great, and even more, I was happy. I was with someone great, lived in a nice home that had plenty of room for more than just the two of us… But then, I told them the news… And they didn’t take well to it at all.” He then hugged himself, arms loosely wrapped around his tummy, “So… They kicked me out, a-and cut off all contact… My brother is on the other side of the country and too busy to come help, but he did help pay for the things I’d need for the baby...” He started rubbing at his eyes again, “I try to stay positive and happy about this baby, but I’m also so scared because… I’m alone.”

 

The sad story had Cyrus shaking his head, how the hell could anyone put out such a kind and affectionate monster as Papyrus? And he was rightfully scared, no doubt it was a lot to take in. Being a first-time parent, having to move out of the place you once called home, and get absolutely ghosted by the person you once cared about so much. Cyrus sighed, “I’m sorry to hear that… You seem like you’re playing it right though, getting the things the kid’ll need… And I bet any kid would love having you as a parent…”

 

Papyrus’s hand rubbed idly over his belly, looking up to Cyrus, “Really?” A smile began to reemerge onto his face.

 

Cyrus could not deny it anymore, he enjoyed seeing Papyrus happy. He enjoyed seeing Papyrus in general. He showed a smile back, “Yeah.” His eye lights flicked down to see Papyrus’s hand, while his usual frowning face had softened, it was starting to sadden, “Say, about that question you asked, about  _ ‘how I know so much about pregnancy’ _ or… Whatever way you put it.” His fingers tapped on the leather wheel, “... This isn’t my first time... Doing all this.”

 

Papyrus raised his brows, giving a small curious noise.

 

“... Actually, it’s scary just how similar this all is… See, years back, I knew this girl, right? Her name’s Muffet, and… We met through work, I’m a security guard at a mall, she worked at a boutique there. She had gotten knocked up by some one-night stand and now had a lot of responsibility put on her shoulders. Kicked out by her parents, she was just so… Lost. I actually helped her out, helped her find a place and with all sorts of things… We got pretty close, pretty good friends… I would dare say maybe I felt some more personal feelings, but I… Didn’t want to impose on her. And things kinda went… Great… Cutest lil baby named Cynthia.”

 

Papyrus listened with a sense of impending dread, all this sounded swell, but there was certainly a catch to come, “W… What happened?”

 

Cyrus was stuck on the words, eyes nearly shut as he looked down at the dash of his car, “... Muff never told me the kind of situation she was in, how deep into a rabbit hole she had gotten. Things were just bad, started a nasty drinking habit and what it resulted in was her drunk driving right into some poor folks. She came out alright… Not so much for the other folks.” He frowned harshly, “Prison, 7 years, probation given, but… Things just did not end all that well for her…” He then sighed loudly, “And then Cynthia… God… I tried-after having not done enough for Muffet to help keep her from doing something so shitty and reckless- _ I tried  _ at the very least… To somehow foster Cynthia. Cause that kid did nothing wrong, and yet there they were, stuck all in the middle of it, getting told mom’s getting locked up and won’t see her again until she’s 12 years old. Grandparents wanted nothing to do with them, no other family to turn to… Haven’t seen or heard from that kid since.”

 

After the long-winded story, Cyrus rested his head at the top of the wheel, taking in a long breath and letting it out. He felt a hand touch his shoulder, and peering over, saw Papyrus leaning in close to him.

 

“... I dunno.” Cyrus broke the silence, “I guess I’m hoping that… I can do it right this time? Yet, keep myself detached as possible so if something terrible happens, I don’t have to care… Cause I still care about those two. I care about Muffet cause she was bright and smart, life was kicking her around, but she always seemed to just scrape by. And Cynthia? Sweetest lil child, bright and beautiful, just like their mom… I’m so pathetic, I can’t bother with the rest of my day without listening back over to the message Muff left on my answering machine. Something about hearing her voice and hearing that Cynthia left me a ‘Good morning’ too, helped me just see through another day in my miserable, lonely life.”

 

Rubbing his brow, he heard another sniffle from Papyrus, Cyrus looked at him worriedly. And then, Papyrus reached over to give him a tight squeeze of a hug. Cyrus could feel the small shivers of Papyrus’s body, “Cyrus,” Papyrus started through a watery voice, “I-I’m so sorry… It wasn’t your fault though-you just couldn’t have known… You did your best, and I’m sorry that all happened.”

  
Cyrus was stiff as a board, god how long had it been since he was last  _ hugged _ ? His own eyes stung with the warm sensation of tears starting to bubble up as well, “... Thanks, Papyrus.”


	7. Cyrus is Here to Stay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, did I promise in a day or two? Lol, try a week later.
> 
> anyways, hope this did it's job in wrapping up this fic, cause boi I wanted to FINALLY say I finished something so here we are.
> 
> Oct. 23, 2018 edit: Hello! So ok, originally this chapter was written fairly different, but... I never was too satisfied by it, mainly because writing in Sans coming out to help Papyrus was just too forced, he doesn't even have one single speaking line so like what's the point?? I wrote him out and instead focused on just Cyrus and Papyrus because this chapter should truly serve to show the development between these two. I edited a few other things, but yeah, with remastering the writing, I changed this chapter quite a bit from the original. Hope it's enjoyed all the same!

Cyrus hauled two bags of laundry over his shoulder back up the staircase, one for his clothes, the other Papyrus’s. He made his way to Papyrus’s door and gave it a knock. There was a bit of a pause before a reply: “ _Come in!_ ”

 

He slipped right in, setting his own freshly cleaned clothes beside the doorway while taking in Papyrus’s. Cyrus poked his head in to the kitchen to make himself known, Papyrus stood in front of the stove, one hand pressed to the small of his back while with his rotund, near full term belly stuck out. Today looked to be a good day to wear an oversized, knit sweater that stretched well around his tummy.

 

“Thank you kindly, Cyrus!” Papyrus happily beamed.

 

“Don’t mention it,” Cyrus said, “I’ll put these away for you.” and then he carried the clothes to Papyrus’s bedroom.

 

“Oh! Wai-” Before Papyrus could get a word in, he could hear the kettle start to whistle, making him huff and go to the cupboard instead to grab a mug.

 

Seeing as these apartments had only one bedroom, that meant Papyrus would be sharing a bedroom space with his child-to-be. His bed had been pushed up against the wall, occupying one corner of the room, while the other corner was for the bassinet and dresser with a changing table on top. Papyrus’s whole apartment had several baby accessories scattered about. Yup, this place sure was ready for the newest addition to this apartment complex.

 

Cyrus was going ahead and unloading the clothes from the bag and onto the bed, where he then started to fold them for Papyrus.

 

“Cyrus!” Papyrus seemed to just appear in the doorway, holding a warm mug of fresh tea in his hand, “While your help is appreciated, I don’t need you to fret over folding my laundry for me too.”

 

That got the other skeleton to chuckle and continue to fold clothes into a single pile at the corner of the bed. Papyrus conceded that chiding Cyrus would get him nowhere, and instead just waddled over and sat down on the bed while helping himself to his tea.

 

“What did you brew?” Cyrus asked as he waved a shirt to straighten it and then fold in the sleeves.

 

“Raspberry leaf tea! Supposed to good for when you’re expecting.” Papyrus smiled, “There’s more in the kitchen if you’d like some.”

 

“ _I’m_ not the one expecting here.” Cyrus said, causing Papyrus to laugh and hold his belly from bouncing, what a jolly goober, “Thanks, I may have some.”

 

“Mhm! Please! I certainly can’t drink all of it by myself.” Papyrus wanted to punctuate that statement with another sip, but he held still for a moment. Instead, the mug came down to rest on his knees while one hand rested on his tummy, that cheerful smile to his face was replaced with a stern look. Cyrus even heard Papyrus taking in a deep breath through his nose sharply and breathe it back out.

 

“... Um… Y’alright?” Cyrus stopped his folding to look to Papyrus.

 

Papyrus strained a smile, nodding his head as he let a breath out through his mouth, “Oh, just Braxton hicks, getting to be a little… Interesting now!”

 

Cyrus frowned as he came around the bed and sat down by Papyrus, “Interesting _how_?”

 

Contemplating how to describe it, Papyrus spoke up “It’s…  Tight. Before it was just like little cramps, but… They’re starting to really get up there.” That probably did not make for a good case then on remaining calm, because Papyrus could see the growing panic in Cyrus’s eyes, “This is fine! I’ve been keeping track of them, they’re… Strong. But they’re not immediately back-to-back! I’ve got time.” He waved his hand, nonchalantly.

 

 _Yeah, right_. Cyrus’s brow raised at that, “... Sure, if you say so.”

 

“I know so!” Papyrus pouted, “I’m pretty aware of what all goes down with _my own body_.” Only a nervous chuckle came from Cyrus, so Papyrus insisted then on standing up, “Come on! Let's get you some tea! So you can relax, alright?”

 

He gave a shrug, hopping up and following Papyrus to the kitchen. Where Papyrus prepared a cup of tea for Cyrus. He watched Papyrus silently reheat the kettle to get the water piping hot again before he poured it out into a mug and added the tea bag in, swirling it around and dipping it in and out.

 

“... Hey Cyrus?”

 

His attention was perked back up to Papyrus.

 

“... Would you mind staying over for the night?” Papyrus looked over to him, “It’s just… Um… I’d prefer not to be alone tonight.”

 

Well, if Papyrus needed him, could he not just knock on his door? They literally lived next door to one another. Though… Maybe it was less about availability and more about… Company.

 

“... I suppose.” Cyrus said, “... I already have my clothes with me, they’re by the door.”

 

Papyrus gave a smile, though the way his brows were furrowed suggested that there was something concerning him in the back of his mind, “Great, thank you!”

 

* * *

 

Late into the night, Cyrus was asleep on Papyrus’s couch, legs kicked up over the armrest while the TV was still on but the volume muted. It was at that point of the night with all that was showing was some infomercial that would loop on repeat for the next several hours until daybreak. Cyrus came to, it was dark as the dickens outside, and by squinting real hard at the wall clock, it was somewhere around 1 in the morning.

 

The whole day was spent staying at Papyrus’s apartment, the two did go for a quick walk around the block given Papyrus was feeling so antsy. After they returned, Cyrus helped Papyrus prepare dinner and the two ate together in the living room while watching whatever “ _25 days til Christmas_ ” special was playing. Weird how another whole year went by, and how Papyrus and Cyrus met somewhere in the middle of it.

 

He fell asleep with the wondering thoughts in his head: **_what was Papyrus to him_ ** ? A pesky neighbor? _Probably not._ Some poor single parent he pitied? _No, they were long passed that_ . A friend? _Getting warmer, but not quite that_.

 

The answer never came to him before dozing off, and now that he was awake, he noticed he was alone. Papyrus must have left the couch and gone to his own bed… Which fine, that meant he could take up the rest of the couch for himself.

 

But just as he was sitting up to scoot back, he heard something, and the sound came from Papyrus’s bedroom… Cyrus was skeptical, but he was not about to get up and go barging in just cause he heard a little suspicious noise. Surely, if Papyrus was in any real trouble, he would--

 

“ **_C-Cyrus!!_ ** ”

 

He jumped off the couch and ran to the bedroom door so fast, throwing it open to find in there Papyrus, sat on the floor, hunched over himself and breathing heavily.

 

“C-cyrus?” _huff huff_ “I-I… I need you to drive me to the hospital!”

 

Cyrus’s eyes darted around the room, “ _Whu-uhh-uh_ , y-yeah, yeah yeah sure-um, hang on-gotta get my keys.” Cyrus was about to rush out, but Papyrus whimpered and got him to hesitate.

 

“H-help me _first_!”

 

Cyrus blinked, right! OK! He marched up to Papyrus and knelt down by him, offering his arm out to him, though Papyrus was not immediately reaching for it. Cyrus nudged Papyrus a bit until Papyrus grabbed hold.

 

“W-wait wait-” Papyrus panted, trying to keep Cyrus from pulling him up, “... Mm… Okay…” He finally was taking breaths in normally again as he was helped back up his feet. “Good-hah, I’ll get my h-hospital bag.”

 

That seemed fair enough, Cyrus ran out from Papyrus’s bedroom, through the living room, out the door, and then panicking as he unlocked his apartment door with the key off his keyring and ran inside to-only just then realize that he had his car key on the keyring too. Wow, that was… Pointless. Alright, maybe not, he did grab his coat and pull on some decent boots. The cold outside may make the pavement slippery and he needed to ensure he was as stable as possible for Papyrus to lean on.

 

He then left his apartment, not bothered with locking the door and heading right into Papyrus’s. What else did they need? Car seat! Right right, how else do you safely get a baby back home? Cyrus opened the closet and picking up the car seat. Okay, they should be pretty good now. What else? His phone! Running around like a chicken without its head, he grabbed a phone and charger. OK, that made for most everything, right?

 

Except for Papyrus. Cyrus marched over to the bedroom door and knocked fervently on it.

 

“ _Hang on, I’m almost ready!_ ”

 

Cyrus blinked and looked at the door indignantly, “... Aren’t _you_ the one having a _baby_ right now??”

 

“ _Yes! I am! And that means I have to change my clothes!_ ” Papyrus called back through the door.

 

“Your pajamas were fine, weren’t they??” Cyrus now was impatiently trying to goad Papyrus along.

 

“ _Would you just hold on!_ ”

 

Cyrus eagerly paced in front of the door, until finally, it opened and Papyrus was standing there carrying with him his bag. Cyrus then took it upon himself to sling the bag over his shoulder, “Get your coat on, it’ll be cold out.”

 

They hurriedly waddled down the corridor and Cyrus was especially careful in helping Papyrus down the stairs. On the last couple of steps, Papyrus completely stopped, leaning to the wall and gripping the guardrail tightly. Cyrus stopped right along with him, quickly picking up on that Papyrus was no doubt enduring _another_ contraction.

 

“Papyrus. Breathe.” Cyrus firmly and calmly responded.

 

It seemed enough to make Papyrus start taking some long, desperate draws of air in and exhaling out with a pained whine. Thankfully, it was not last long, but as it was over, Papyrus seemed pretty out of breath, “ _T-they’re… g-getting w-worse…_ ” Papyrus’s hand came down to rest on the taut belly.

 

“Then we have to keep moving.” Cyrus grabbed the underside of Papyrus’s arm, leading him down the rest of the stairs, making sure he did not slip or fall.

 

It was then just a bit more of a walk to Cyrus’s car, where he haphazardly tossed the hospital bag and car seat in the back. He helped Papyrus down into the passenger seat, shutting the door behind him.

 

Cyrus wanted to take whatever shortcuts necessary, so he hopped and slid over the hood of the car, landing on the other side and throwing open the door to drop in and shut it behind him,  “Are you good?” Cyrus asked Papyrus, who was… Looking at him in some awe.

 

“... That… Was really cool.” Papyrus uttered out.

 

Cyrus looked dumbfounded for a moment until realizing what it was he even did, shaking his head to come out of the stupor, he turned the ignition on, “Ah, yeah, I uh… Guess it was-alright, hospital. Now.”

 

Shifting into reverse as to back up the slightest bit out of this parallel parking job to then drive out, Cyrus did his best not to speed, but to hurry them up to…

 

“Did you already call the hospital?” Cyrus hurriedly asked.

 

Papyrus reached down the side of his seat, finding the lever to pull up on to give him the ability to recline back, wanting it to lie him back as horizontal as it would allow, “Y-yeah, when my water broke… I gave a call.”

 

“Good, so they know we’re coming?”

 

Papyrus hummed.

 

As they drove on, the road was a bit uneven and had some egregious bumps, and with Cyrus driving a little too hectically, Papyrus was very unappreciative and gave a sore whine, reaching up to hold onto the car handle, “C-cyrus, please,” Papyrus groaned out, “Be-mh-more careful.”

 

In almost immediate response, Cyrus started to be more conscious of his speed, especially with these patchy parts of the road, “Sorry, sorry.”

 

Glancing over every now and then, Papyrus was doing everything possible to get comfortable, while abiding by keeping his safety belt on. There was some benefit to it being the dead of night as not too much traffic stood in their way. Only traffic lights and stop signs would slow them down. The sudden hitching of his breath was a pretty good tell of when another painful contraction was starting up.

 

Cyrus continued driving through the night, thankfully spotting the hospital just ahead.

 

* * *

 

After a quick change out of his usual clothes and into a teal hospital gown, he was then reclined back on the bed with a monitor strapped around his midsection. Cyrus stood idly by, not really sure how much involvement to have, he had brought up the bag and set it on a chair while he took the couch by the window to sit at. It was now 2 in the morning.

 

As soon as the two were left all alone, Papyrus flopped his head back against the pillow. For as much urgency as there was to getting to the hospital and getting into a room, things were suddenly very calm. Papyrus was not writhing in pain anymore, or at least didn’t seem like he was.

 

“... Excited?” Cyrus spoke up to Papyrus, but didn’t get a response back, “... Papyrus?”

 

At hearing his name, he lifted his head.

 

“Are you excited?”

 

Papyrus heard the question this time, but was hesitant to answer, simply turning back down to his body, “... It doesn’t feel good…”

 

Cyrus got off the couch and walked over to the hospital bed, “I’m sure it doesn’t, but hey, this’ll just fly by, be over before you know it.”

 

Taking a look over at the monitors and the readout for the key vitals, there was a significant sudden change to the one straight line as it was slowly on the rise, in correspondence, Papyrus leaned his head back, screwed his eyes shut as he gripped onto the hospital bed railing.

 

“Papyrus, breathe.” Cyrus gently reminded.

 

At that, Papyrus did his best at taking deliberate, controlled breaths in and out, having gotten into a rhythm with them. His back ached, which came around to his belly, it was an incredibly difficult pain to breathe through. With his breaths, he’d have some desperate whines of despair to follow along with.

 

This was hard to watch, Cyrus tried to think of what to do, “... Do you want to see about an epidural? I think those usually help.”

 

The tight grip slipped off the hospital bed guard rail, grabbing then onto Cyrus’s hand instead. Cyrus gently stroked his thumb over the knuckles of his fingers.

 

“I promise ya, this’ll all be over with before you even know it.”

 

“Mm-hmm thh-thank you…”

 

* * *

 

Hours. It took hours. Hours of constant pain. Papyrus had done all he could from walking up and down the halls to sitting in a bath. Meanwhile, his role in supporting Papyrus was to give him emotional support as well as massaging his back, being the lean-to support when standing up and walking around, as well as fetching anything for Papyrus to distract him or ice to chew on.

 

It was to a point where Papyrus was absolutely _exhausted_ , barely getting a wink of sleep with the persistent contractions. Worst of it was that lying down was starting to get too painful to do as well.

 

Cyrus was struggling for what to do, they adjusted the bed to allow him to lie upright, but he wanted to lean _forward_. He finally was just as fed up in Papyrus’s restless crying and tossing and turning that he took control of the situation.

 

He sat in front of Papyrus on the bed, “Bend your legs-like, kneel, come on.”

 

Papyrus just followed what Cyrus said, then was surprised with how Cyrus scooted right up to him, bringing up Papyrus’s arms around his shoulders, and while Papyrus was now sat up and leaned forward like this, Cyrus rubbed up and down along Papyrus’s back.

 

“... How’s this?”

 

Papyrus certainly stopped crying, that was for sure. He leaned his head in to rest under the crook of Cyrus’s shoulder and neck, his eyes were perfectly blocked from the already dimmed lights, “Mmh..” he hummed in response.

 

“Good.” Cyrus didn’t care how long he was going to be stuck here, all he had was a boring, bland wall over the head of the bed to stare at. Though, if this is what it would take to alleviate Papyrus’s discomfort for even a few minutes of sleep, he was gonna take it. Somehow, Papyrus napped like a log.

 

* * *

 

“Take in a good deep breath, and push, really hard this time!”

 

The sun had risen up, Cyrus stood right beside Papyrus, helping to keep one of his legs held up while the other hand took all of Papyrus’s strength in a bone-crushing grip. This guy was way tougher than he let on. Papyrus bared down again, hoping for this to be the last damn time now because with all this torture he’s gone through, he was growing tired and ready to pitch in the towel. Putting his all into this last push, even giving out a yell as finally, something gave.

 

The sight of what was down there-okay no, Cyrus had to look away, feeling the floor sway underneath him like on a ship. It was a real mess is what it was, but what the doctor plopped right onto Papyrus’s chest?

 

A squirming, kicking, wailing newborn.

 

Hands balled up tight, very unhappy with the sudden events that took place and giving their voice a real good work out with those loud, piercing cries. Papyrus took a moment to gather his bearings on reality and smiled warmly at the small infant on top of him, his very soul feeling to swell and grow with love.

 

Papyrus had let go of Cyrus’s hand in favor of patting the little new guest, doing all he could to help soothe and calm them from crying so loudly.

 

Cyrus’s reaction to seeing the baby after keeping himself from losing his entire dinner just seconds ago was something pretty, deeply paternal. Stooping down to look over Papyrus’s shoulder at seeing the screaming baby’s face. Their little eyes shut tight, tiny little-wrinkled nose ridge and just the softest little cheekbones. Certainly took a lot from Papyrus, almost like a perfect little “mini-me” of him.

 

“You did it.” Cyrus said, nearly out of breath from the amazement of what he just witnessed, “Look at ‘em.”

 

Papyrus was laughing out wet, tired sobs, overcome with joy and relief.

 

December 20th, 7:34 AM

 

* * *

 

Life with a newborn in the apartments for the first week was rather interesting. These apartment walls did little for soundproofing, so at the first time hearing the baby cry, it caused quite the stir. Some pleasant rejoicing really at the fact the new little tenant arrived safe and sound.

 

Papyrus and the new baby were absolutely inseparable, aside from naps, Papyrus barely wanted to set the child down. Besides, he heard that you can not spoil a baby, so he was more than ready to spoil this little booger for all he could. Speaking of, this little booger sure did have a name: _Mistral_.

 

Cyrus helped Papyrus home and even settle the two of them in, while he was tempted to call out of work for another day, but really he was trying the patience of his managers a little too much. He had been dutifully staying with Papyrus at his apartment to help with many things while Papyrus still recovered. Finally, Cyrus got up early one morning, despite being all tired himself from lack of sleep, and went over to his own apartment to get cleaned up and dressed for work.

 

* * *

 

That very night, Cyrus went right to his apartment. Papyrus had insisted on Cyrus going back to his own life and that he was well on his way to taking care of Mistral by himself. Except, that was not so much the case. Mistral gave some of the most heartbreaking, pitiful cries, Cyrus listened to them go on and on, slowing down and then starting back up again.

 

It had been during this time now where Cyrus was doing his best to live his own life, away (but not that far clearly) from Papyrus that the question he wondered to himself came a lot clearer… _Was Papyrus a love interest?_

 

After almost an hour and a half of consistent crying, Cyrus made his way on over, giving a knock at the door. The muffled cries seemed to get louder and louder to the door as it soon opened, revealing a very tired Papyrus, trying to rock a screaming newborn in one arm.

 

“I-I’m so sorry, this-the baby--” Papyrus stammered to try and keep Cyrus from being upset.

 

“Let me help you.”

 

Papyrus stopped, looking on up at Cyrus a long moment. He blinked a few times, already just so tired that he was struggling to comprehend. Though it soon got through, as he backed away from the door and gave Cyrus room to step in, “P-please..?”

 

Cyrus stepped in through the threshold, the home was not exactly a mess, save for the laundry that Papyrus was trying to fold out in the living room.

 

Mistral’s pitiful cries were just loud and upset, constant and unrelenting, “T-they’re not hungry.” Papyrus said as he bounced around with them, “I d-don’t know-I-I just-I can’t--”

 

“C’mon, let’s sit.” Cyrus put his arm around Papyrus. With the way that Papyrus was slowly getting more and more anxious, it was just doing no good for the situation. Once the both of them sat down, he gave feathery touches to the baby’s skull, “Have they slept?”

 

Papyrus shook his head in response, “T-that’s what I’m trying to get them to do…”

 

“Alright,” Cyrus started, “Give ‘em here.”

 

Cyrus cradled Mistral and rocked them carefully, shushing them softly as their cries began to reduce now to blubbering whines. They seemed to be, for the most part, settled down and Cyrus grinned, “There we go.”

 

After a while, and gently resting the baby on Papyrus’s lap, little Mistral finally fell asleep… And Papyrus did not want to move in fear of waking them up.

 

Cyrus watched on, seeing the baby snore, but looking back up to Papa, he was nearly nodding off himself, “Here.” He said, carefully scooting right up to Papyrus and giving his shoulder as a pillow to rest on, “Go on and rest.”

 

Papyrus blinked tiredly at Cyrus, but his head already felt gravity weigh it down, making his lean his skull to Cyrus, “Mm… Thank you so much.” He whispered, trying to not be loud enough to disturb Mistral.

 

“... You’re welcome.” Cyrus replied, rubbing Papyrus’s head.

 

They stayed like this, just comfortably warm and quiet. Mistral’s snores being what was heard the most throughout. Though then, Papyrus spoke: “Cyrus?”

 

“Mmh?”

 

“... I really like you…”

 

“... I love you too, Papyrus.”

 

“.... Cyrus?”

 

“Yes, Papyrus?”

 

“Please… Stay..?”

 

Cyrus looked down to the sleeping child, then back up to Papyrus, who was hanging on by a mere thread to consciousness, “... Sure thing.”

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous prompt on Tumblr: http://unflavoredskelly.tumblr.com/post/166113781827/is-it-okay-to-send-you-a-prompt-because-just


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